DOMINICA

Antigua

It was time to leave Montserrat. We were looking forward to the short 20 minute hop across to Antigua and I was hoping that the passengers were a little better behaved than those on our trip over. My heart missed a beat slightly when I saw a pretty weighty woman approach the aircraft, all I could hope is that she let the pilot alone to do his job! I asked the captain if I could take some photos and he was cool with that man so here are a few.

Leave that man alone!

We arrived at Dominica airport and were driven to Hibiscus Valley Nature Inn. It's in the middle of the rainforest served by a rough road. We were shown to our room by Nigel, also the cook of some repute. We had a tree cottage and although they are well maintained cosy and charming, they lacked certain essentials, a fridge, for the booze,air con, and mozzie shades over the open windows. You got a noisy free standing fan but if you suffer from mozzies, this is not the room for you. This is the rainforest, so expect the little devils. I don't suffer from them but my Trish does. They wait at airports for her plane to land, salivating in anticipation of her arrival, all over the Caribbean, The Far East and Scotland. We upgraded to an apartment, not so charming but with all the essentials apart from internet. This explains the late posting of this blog as we are actually in Barbados now.

The trouble with going on holiday to the Windies at this time of year is that it's low season. I say 'trouble' but sometimes it's a blessing but it can be a cleft stick. For example, when you book, you can get a room anywhere you want but on the other hand the establishment is usually running a skeleton staff. There are usually few guests, again a boon for service is usually pretty exclusive but then on the other hand you end up eating alone, going on trips alone and doing pretty much everything on your own. I think this is good and especially this week for we had the exclusive use of our very own Carib guide Kim.

We made it!

Kim and his jeep took us anywhere we wanted to go so we ended up doing a tour of the island hampered only by roads which made the roads of St. Vincent look like the main runway at Heathrow. Luckily the beautiful and historic island of Dominica, fought over by the English and French with regularity over the years, does not have the volume of traffic to make the narrow, potholed, twisty, animal/human riddled roads supreme in the terrifying stakes.

The bamboo bar at The Islet View

Kim also told us in depth about the history of his people, the original inhabitants of The CARIBbean. During this historical interlude, Trish piped up from the back seat informing us that her great grandma was a Carib, a fact she had not shared with me until now which Kim thought so funny he drove into a pothole which until then he had done magnificently to avoid. Kim also liked a beer or two and took us not only to Fort Shirley in Portsmouth and the Emerald Lake and waterfall, but to the Islet View Bar where we met owner Rudi who had turned a shack into a bamboo lined hostelry complete with homemade bamboo furniture, complete with a fantastic view out to the sparkling sea.

Islet View Bar and Restaurant

Kim

We climbed the left one

He also made us climb up a steep rainforested semi-mountain in order that we see the cannon mounted at the top by the British to guard the strait between Dominica and it's neighbouring island. The cannon was presumably used to fire on French ships as they tried to sneak through. It was worth the climb, which we ended, dripping with sweat and with the knowledge that due to the rain that had transformed the trail into a river as we made our way up, we had a precarious route down as well.

Trish drinking beer!

Pumpkin soup in an interesting bowlhe week. The last leg of our journey